Grilling Up for Father’s Day #GrillingIsHappiness #Giveaway

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions are strictly mine, including the kooky ones. 

Father’s Day is coming up, and it’s no secret that most dads sometimes get the short end of the stick when it comes to their special day. That’s why I was thrilled to be able to head to my local Sears to surprise Mr. Houseful with some grilling accessories that he had been eyeing for a while.

If you follow my tweets, or my FB fan page, you’ll know that we’ve been grilling now for a while since the weather in Chicago has decided to cooperate a bit more for longer grilling periods. Just to be clear though, we’re not above grilling in the winter or rain, but there is just something about summer that BEGS for someone to light a grill and put all types of meat and other goodies on it to cook over that open flame.

Sears has always seemed like a store that was divided into very distinct sections to me. So it was a no-brainer to go there and choose grilling accessories.  Especially the one that I tend to frequent. The first floor is all about women, including women who shop for their men. The second floor is all about children, and the man cave – also known as the lower level is all made for dad. I mean sure, they sneak a couple of lawn furniture pieces down there to appease the women, but it’s all about man toys. Lawnmowers, drills, leaf blowers and tools. It was even nice to do a bit of research before we went to make sure that what we were looking for was even offered at the store. Another great program that Sears has is the Show Your Way Rewards (which I’ve been a part of since last year) that rewards you one point per dollar spent, and you’re able to apply that amount to current purchases. Not bad.

It was also nice to sit and drool over a couple of lawn items that we’ll have to save for when we purchase a house WITH a backyard. We live in the city, so no backyard for us. This online catalog will give you enough of a decorating kick in the pants to at least go down and SEE the great lawn furniture they have. Click the photo, you’ll love me for it.

Mr. Houseful and I are avid viewers of Barbecue University, and tend to fancy ourselves barbecue students in general. I will let you know, the tools honestly make a difference. I’m confident in that because Mr. Houseful says so. While at Sears we did end up purchasing a few things that we had already had before, but they were worn down, and a couple of new items. Mainly a rib rack for indirect heating, and a charcoal chimney. For those of you that don’t know, the charcoal chimney literally makes sure that all of your charcoal is evenly heated and hot enough for you to start cooking with almost immediately. I don’t know about you, but waiting for the charcoal to heat up, with the chance that the fire might go out was always a bit frustrating in our Houseful.

Mr. Houseful also decided to get some smoking chips as a luxury and we were happy with our choice. >cough< Jack Daniels>cough< By the way, did you know that the Jack Daniel’s smoking chips are made from the whiskey barrels?! How amazing is that?

Okay, to make a long story short, we’re pretty confident that we now have what we need to grill out for Mr. Houseful for Father’s Day, AND make the most of our grilling experience. He also agreed to share some tips for our readers.

Mr. Houseful’s Grilling Tips:

A GOOD rub goes a long way for flavor and color. Make sure to let sit on any cuts of meat for at least four hours, but overnight is optimal.

I use paprika, black pepper, dark brown sugar, salt, celery salt, garlic powder, dry mustard, cumin and cayenne pepper in mine. If you want to experiment, go for it!

A charcoal chimney is hands down the best way to get your coals hotter faster. Invest in one.

A good grill works wonders for even grilling temperature. Don’t just settle. Make sure that you have enough room to grill several cuts of meat over indirect or direct heat simultaneously.

And what’s a barbecue without a sauce. While we don’t sauce our meats while they are on the grill, we do have an option of sauces.

I’m responsible for the sauce, and I take pride in it. I use a cola and ketchup base, and add brown sugar, minced garlic, onion powder, hoisin sauce, cumin, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and a little bit of chili powder. It’s a nice tangy, sweet goodness!

Now, if all of that doesn’t get you in the mood to grill, Sears is currently hosting some pretty sweet deals to get us geared up for a fantastic season:

• Starting June 3, Free in store assembly on all gas grills at Sears #summerwithsears
• $20 gift card w/purchase of a Hamilton Beach 3 burner gas grill at Sears now thru 6/10 http://bit.ly/SearHotDeal6 #grillingishappiness

Sears will also be one of the featured guests at the Naperville Ribfest on June 30th from noon until 6 pm with a special guest by the name of Ty Pennington. You know him don’t you? The Houseful will be in the house, and we’ll enjoy every piece of pork goodness that is offered. Ty, along with other grill masters,  will join the grilling and outdoor living authority,Sears, to heat up one of Chicagoland’s most beloved summer events – Ribfest – on June 30. From noon to 6 p.m., Ribfest attendees can experience demonstrations by Sears grilling experts, get a photo with Pennington, have a chance to get their grill on with him or even enter to win a grill and other great prizes. Join the live tweeting during the event from @Sears #GrillingIsHappiness.. You can find more information regarding the fest on their Facebook Page or on Twitter

To follow the latest on Sears, you can always choose to follow them at these venues:

• Catalog Link
• Sears Local Ad
• Sears on Twitter
• Sears on Facebook
• Sears Shop Your Way Rewards on Twitter
• Sears Weekly Deals

Are you still with me? If you are, pat yourself on the back because NOW, you get to enter to win your very own grill set from my Houseful to yours! How ’bout them apples? Or ribs. Wait, where were we? That’s right, the grilling set. Here it is!

This set would be perfect for the novice and pro griller alike. Stainless steel fork, tongs and spatula will make any grilling experience easier!

To enter:

Tell me your favorite thing to grill and why?

For extra entries:

Tweet this giveaway and post the link in the comment section. (do this daily for extra entries)

Share this giveaway on Facebook and share the link in the comment section (do this daily for extra entries)

Follow Houseful of Nicholes via Networked Blogs and let me know you did

Get the Houseful delivered weekly to your email and let me know you did

That’s it!

This giveaway will close on June 30th at 11:59 pm and is open to those 18 and older.

Have fun, and if you’re still hanging out with me, check out my Google+ Album documenting our shopping trip and how much fun Mr. Houseful had picking out his new toys!